Empire City Casino’s pinch: Westchester’s Hophead Heaven

Yonkers Raceway’s Cicerone-managed beer hub

BY: John Bruno Turiano

The floating, glass-enclosed keg room at pinch.

The 245-seat Ducasse Studio restaurant at Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway, pinch (810 Yonkers Ave, Yonkers 914-457-2541; pinchusa.com), not only has a big-time chef (Fabienne Eymard formerly of Taillevent in Paris) and a big-time classic diner design by Manhattan design and architecture firms, but a beer program that rivals any in the County.

Managed by James Tai, a Certified Cicerone (i.e., professional beer expert), pinch’s beer program offers 100 New York beers on tap, 25 large format beers including limited releases (available seasonally and in small batches), “pour your own” beer taps fixed to six booth tables, and a growler shop that allows guests to take home a daily selection of eight featured tap beers.